She's My Wife, Dammit!
by toshimi-chan
Summary: Genma just got married. But for some reason, he didn't tell anyone about their marriage, keeping his wife, Kira under his roof, protected. But for how long will the secret remain when the Hokage himself was in search for her? [Time setting: Six months after the Fourth Shinobi World War]
1. Key 1: Password

"I'm home." He closed the door of his apartment as he walked into the spacious room stride by languid stride. As he detached the senbon from between his lips and placed it into a special ceramic cup to place his ninja equipments on the small table, his eyes wander to his home that had transformed five hundred and eighty degree since he uhh...

Married.

Well it's only just three days ago actually.

"Welcome home, Genma." A soft voice of a woman greeted him from the direction of the kitchen. A smile already formed on his face before he turned to her and started to close the distance between them.

Kira wiped her wet hands with the small towel hung on the wall, "You're awfully early today. I haven't finish make dinner yet." Her brow lifted one-sided when he didn't say anything but continued to advance to her. When their distance was so close she nearly kiss the green ninja vest hung on his shoulder, she took a step back. And he took two step forward, until her back met the kitchen counter, trapping her in between the counter and her half-serious husband.

He restrained the urge to laugh his heart out when he saw her freaked out expression. It tickled him everytime he got her cornered and the best part is when he touched her lips with his fingers, or with his own, they were cold.

And shivering.

No. This is not the best part.

It's the _worst_ part.

He quickly latched his hands on her waist and brought her into his arms._ I'm sorry_, he thought ruefully as he stroked her long red hair which she let loose down her waist. Because he had told her to. Because he liked it that way. It suited her well. He felt she stiffened in his arms, her fists clenched tightly on the black tight on his forearms. And he knew it was his fault. But determined not to touch that delicate subject again, he chose to change the topic.

"I keep missing you all day today, sweetcheeks. That's why I returned earlier." He rested his chin on her hair, feeling her relaxed a bit as she leaned back on him. After a while, that soothing gesture had become awkward, as awkward as her face was.

But not to him. He was enjoying this.

She flattened her hands on his sturdy chest and pushed him away, but the hands that had fastened securely on her back denied her.

"Errr..." Kira stuttered, she didn't know whether she was embarrassed or flustered or probably it may be both, because on the past three days, she had started to know a bit of his gestures when he was serious, flirtious, or the kind one, or even when he was teasing her. And this time he's definitely was enjoying himself.

"Genma, I need to cook for dinner. So...could you please...?" She trailed off, hoping her pleading voice would be the key to unlock his suffocating embrace.

Then she felt him shook his head, "Nuh-uh. Give me the passwords. You know what it is." She was clever enough to guess he is enjoying himself in tesing her, although she couldn't see his face. She sighed quietly. Despite of his age that was considered matured enough, he's still, unbelievably, immatured.

But immatured in his own way.

She cleared her throat, lightly scratching her cheek with her fingernail, uncertain. But she said it anyway, "Genma...ehem...is the most..." She halted in the middle, looking up at him, fidgeted. He looked back at her, grinning slightly, his eyes were big, anticipating her next words.

She sighed again, "I can't believe I'm saying this again." She blushed, "Genma is the most...handsome, strongest and capable jonin of the village and I'm...his wife..."

He instantly let her go and threw his head back, laughing, "Kira, you're so cute, ya know that. I'm just teasing you but you really say it!" He continued to laugh when she stomped to the boiling soup on the stove, reaching for the ladle and began to stir it with a red face.

"I won't talk to him again." She muttered furiously under her breath, throwing the carrots slices into the soup. But unfortunately Genma's sensitive ears had caught her lines.

He smirked amusedly, "Heard that, sweetcheeks."

**Later at night**

They had their dinner as usual, conversing like always. Except this time he was the one doing the talks while she just hmm, hmm and hmm. Just like she vowed earlier, she's determined to not talk to her playful husband. Well, at least for tonight. And when she did, she thought he will stop teasing her again but unfortunately, to no avail.

The engine of his mouth just don't stop from one topic to another.

He stared on his wife who was quietly tidying the dinner table. His gaze fixed on her when she went to the kitchen then went back to the living room with a small towel in her hand. He was lying on the couch, which now was officially his bed when she moved in to his apartment two weeks ago. His eyes narrowed, thinking on how can he get her to talk again. She was sulking and that much he can tell.

_Was she angry when I told her to say the passwords?_

He mused again. This time a frown formed on his forehead.

_But it was for her safety, after all._

The clock ticked. It was 01:35 in the morning. She was sitting comfortably on the chair, looking on some magazine Genma had brought home while he was already gone from the house few hours ago.

_"I'm off to some mission tonight. Make sure to lock the door and verandah while I'm gone." She nodded plainly while he make his way to the door. Then suddenly he turned back to her who was standing on his back, "Oh. One more thing. Don't wait up for me, okay? Just go to sleep first." He took off the senbon from his lips and placed a quick peck on her cheek before he disappeared in the darkness of the hallway. The way he said that, it was as if they were sleeping together when they actually not. But he knew she was waiting for him to come home when every single night he returned home late, she's always there in the living room, reading, jumping around and even talking to herself.  
><em>

She made a boring face while glancing to the clock. Lately, he was assigned to a mission far from Konoha. She don't know what kind of mission it is because Genma himself didn't bother to tell her anyway. Everytime she asked, he always said; Don't worry. I'll be back.

Deciding to take some night air from the verandah, she opened the sliding door slightly before the cold night breeze gently slapping her face and swaying her red hair. She suddenly halted from stepping to the verandah when she remembered Genma told her to stay low and never approach the verandah or the door, except when he was there with her. She pulled back her feet and closed the sliding door slowly before locking it.

After she pulled the curtains across the sliding door, she stood there, behind the closed door, eyes closed. She was imagining she was standing at the top of the building, inhaling the fresh night air without fear of anything. And she was there with Genma.

_Would that day ever come?_

The door suddenly clicked from the outside.

End of chapter 1

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><p>AN: Hi there. Thanks for checking out my story and I hope you like it. And if you do like it, feel free to favorite, follow and review :) I'm really happy to hear you out! Hope to see you again in the next chapter!

Note: I do not own Naruto, it's solely belongs to Kishimoto-sensei and I'm just a humble writer expressing her thought out. The OC and the storyline, fortunately, is mine. :D

toshimi-chan


	2. Key 2: Watching Her Sleeping

The door of the apartment was clicked from the outside.

"Genma?"

Kira slowly approached the door when she heard a familiar voice from the outside at the hallway.

"Just how much stupid you'd wish to be, idiot?" Raido who was supporting half of Genma's weight on his shoulder muttered hissingly. Currently, Genma's whole body was paralyzed as the aftereffect of his endless experimenting with poisons. And this is not the first time he or Kobayashi or some other comrades had brought his convulsing carcass off to hospital, along with whatever dangerous poison he'd been playing with for the medic to fix. And this time he had snatched some poison from the laboratory to quench his thirst for not touching them for so long. He don't know what actually had made him to touch them when he actually had vowed few months ago to not lay a hand on the lethal liquid again. _Carelessly_. Thank goodness it's just a paralyze or else he'd be end up sleeping in the hospital for days.

"Erghh... Enough of your nagging already..." From behind the door, Raido was watching curiously on his long time friend sniffing around.

He frowned, "What are you doing? Just give me the key to open the door."

Genma ignored his shoving hand and instead he said between his numb lips, "Urghh... It smells here... Raido did you fart?" It's really out of place when he suddenly said that. But he said it for a reason.

His frown deepened, "What are you talking about? Are you drunk too-"

There's a click at the door before it was opened bit by bit. It's the password from Genma to tell her to open the door because he can sensed her presence despite of his current inability to move.

Then they heard she gasped before the door threw opened wildly.

"Genma?! What happened to you?!" She was far away from noticing the sudden high octave of her voice.

Raido looked shocked, "Kira, you're still awake? Sorry for disturbing you in the middle of the night."

Kira shook her head as she went to the left side of the now muted man, "No, it's alright. I just...happen to stay awake until now." She replied tersely. She can't tell him she was waiting for Genma to come home every night because she thought it was quite...personal? And embarrassing as well.

Raido went into the apartment, supporting Genma's right side of his body while Kira took the left one. She directed them to his room and laid him on the bed.

After awhile adjusted him on the bed so he can lie comfortably, Raido wanted to ask her to come out for a second for he has plenty of things to tell her, but she had approached the muted but blinking Genma, thwarting his intention for a while.

"Genma, I can't hear you." She said with worried face when she can't hear the thing he said between his numb lips although she had placed her ear so near with his mouth.

"Kira. Could you come out for a second?" Raido finally said, waiting for her response when she spun to him. Her gaze return to her motionless husband, then shifted to Raido, then back to Genma. Uncertain.

He sighed, but managed to hide his amusement behind that one exhale of breath, "I'm going to show you the medicine for this unfortunate man. And several other things if you don't mind." With that, Kira rolled to her feet and followed Raido to the living room, leaving the immobilized man alone.

Once they were in the living room, he sneaked his hand into his pouch on his back, searching for a bit before he drew out a small folded of paper containing some grains of white powder. He handed it to her, "Next time, if he happen to show his idiotic side again, just take this medicine and add it with some water and let him drink it. He'll be fine in one night."

_Or probably more than one night._

She stared on the folded paper on her hand, then back to Raido's eyes but never lingered on the scar lingered across his nose and to the left side of his face, afraid that would offend him, "But, where do I get this?"

He replied, "He always have several in his pouch just in case something like this happen again. Just take it from there."

She nodded obediently, then cocked her head in one side, wondering, "Is he...always like this?"

It takes him a while before he answered, but an answer with a question mark on the end, "Did something happen between you two tonight?"

Her eyes widened, then she frowned, thinking again, "I don't think something...unusual happen between us-"

"Did you fight with him? Or stop talking to him?"

"No, I-" Then she gasped, finally realizing, "I did not talk to him tonight because he...uhh..." She tilted her head as she searching for the right word., "He..."

"Being insensitive again, I know." Raido kindly provided the rest. Genma isn't someone to back away from his words so when something as horrible as this happened to him again, he knew something had bothered him although he didn't showed it.

Spending much of his time in Genma's apartment when she first arrived here two weeks ago had revealed to him the another unknown side of him when he's with the opposite sex. Based on their relationship since they were thirteen, Genma is not the type to hang out much with woman. Or it almost seemed like...women are someone he have to get away from. He'd rather fond to spend his time with his male friends, such as him but never with a woman. And the only women in his life he ever know were now his deceased older sister, Yumiko, her mother, and her baby sister during the Kyuubi's attack, leaving him alone between the crumbled of his home.

He arched an assurance smile for her, although that might be quite rare from him but he have to make her ready for the next thing he wanted to tell her. About Genma.

"Kira," He began, his voice was as serious as his face was, "Did he happened to have...nightmares again?"

It seemed frowning has become a habit since she lived here, especially when she never expected to hear such thing about Genma, "Nightmare? I don't think so. But, what about it? Did he used to have a nightmare?"

He sighed in relief before he continued, "In the middle of the night, when suddenly the home become very bright, as though it is during the day, in every room, in every corner, just do this one thing to calm him down; make sure to be with him all the time." He said, not expecting her to understand it by now but she will. Later.

Her brows wrinkled again, as though she just heard the most weird story ever, "I don't understand but...don't worry. I'll always be by his side." She stated strongly with a determined face.

Those words, finally had made him smiled again in relief, "Of course you are. Now I know_ you're _his wife, I can finally sleep soundly without bothering to check at the window of his apartment every night."

* * *

><p>Flashback 18 days ago.<p>

* * *

><p>He inserted the key of his apartment into the door lock and with a low snap sound, the door was opened before him. Genma entered the usual dark hallway that always greeted him home from his endless duty and mission, especially when he was one of the elite shinobi who was specially assigned to guard the Hokage.<p>

He flicked open the switch of the living room, tearing open his green vest and placed it on the chair. Throwing his body on the couch, he relieved a heavy sigh as he twirled the senbon between his lips with his skillful tongue. Spitting the senbon up high to the air, aiming to the small cup on the small table across the living room, he placed his hand on his forehead and drifted his eyes closed before a small click sound echoed as the senbon had made a touch down into the ceramic cup.

His eyes closed for a minute or two before an unfamiliar yet delectable scent greeted his sensitive nose. He sniffed around curiously the couch under him.

It was a scent of a woman.

_Since when there's a woman in my-_

He gasped sharply before he suddenly jumped from his comfortable black couch and ran to his room but only to find it was dark and empty, only the moonlight was kind enough to provide some light refracted into his room from the closed window.

_Dammit! Where's the woman has gone?!_

He went around to the veranda, then to the kitchen before he went to the door of the apartment and search around furiously. But she just nowhere to be found.

_Did she left without telling me? Or Raido?_

He looked around blankly to the scenery of the night on the third floor of the apartment, body leaning forward as he tapped the cement under him with his fingernails, thinking. The pace of his finger was fast at first before it became slower, and much slower. Then it stopped. Turning back into his house, a sly smirk formed on his face.

_It doesn't matter, isn't it? The Hokage just want the chest, not her. If she leave...so be it._

Walking back to the kitchen to fetch some water, he accidentally stepped on a small folded paper under his feet. Picking it up, his eyes went to the center of the slightly crumbled paper.

_Genma and Raido, thank you so much for saving me the other day. And thank you for offering me a place to settle down for awhile. I don't have much to thank both of you except for the chest you have been searching for all this while. I believe Konoha can take care of it much better than I did in my past twenty years.  
>Until then.<em>

_Kira_

His brow arched one-sided, reading all over again each words and each characters with an indifference expression sketched on his exhausted face. Folding back the paper and placed it on the table, he finally went to the kitchen, fetching a glass of water and downed it in one shot before he took another glass. Letting the softness of the couch taking over his exhaustion, his eyes drifted closed, wanting to drown himself for a nap before he have to go back to his duty in another three hours.

His eyes were closed.

But not his brain.

The image of the woman they just met two days ago appeared again in his head.

Her long red hair where it curls on the end...was slowly turning white.

Those beautiful raven eyes...was rolled painfully upward, showing the whiteness of her eyes.

The pulse on her neck quickened...before it became slower, weaker. Then it stopped.

All the enchanting beauty he saw in her was changing, slowly transforming herself into a corpse.

The pair of his eyes never lied. His eyes and Raido's eyes, they were the witness of how a human was dead in one second but came back to life in the next.

_Are the people from the Uzumaki clan were all **that** special?_

No. Special probably is not the right word.

It's horrifying. Tremendously terrifying. Ungodly against the law of the nature.

In all the years he has been living on the earth, he only heard such thing where a person can come back to life only with that formidable but forbidden jutsu, Edo Tensei. Although no one ever know the manual of the jutsu since the second Hokage had sealed it away, the thing she was performing wasn't an Edo Tensei, that much he can tell because that forbidden jutsu involved another living human as a vessel to summon the death back to the world of living.

_Kira Uzumaki._

_Who's exactly are you?_

* * *

><p>End of flashback<p>

* * *

><p>The chirpings of the birds was echoing across the bright sky. Rays by gentle rays was seeping through the closed window, making her sensitive skin to burn slightly. Aided by a sting of pain on her right shoulder, they all had succeeded in waking her up.<p>

Her eyes fluttered open.

Only to be greeted by the closeness of Genma's face above her. Blinking her eyes blankly where the sleepiness still get the better of her, "Why are you here?" She can felt his hands one under her shoulders while the other under her knees.

"You're awake?" His eyes widened, as though he was startled by her sudden voice.

As though being send back to reality, she instantly pushed him away, sending him stumbling on his rear on the bed side.

"Genma, you can't be like this. We've agreed to bear with it until the chest was opened, remember?" She practically exclaimed, shooting him an accusing eyes of whatever he was thinking he was doing to her.

And now it was his turn to blink blankly, puzzled, "What did I do?!"

She huffed in mock despair, "You're the one who suggest on this. We're only married for four days but you can hardly restrain yourself. What should I do then?"

He instantly went to his feet, looking at her in disbelief, "What? You're the one who suddenly pounced on me and lied on the bed by my side in the first place. Who's at fault now?"

She gasped, "Did I?" Her vague memory said she was lying on the couch in the living room when she suddenly got sleepy last night. But she didn't remember going to the room and lied with him on the same bed.

Then he continued, "Because the bed was fit for only one person, you suddenly fall down the bed and here I am lifting you off the floor before you suddenly awake."

Her face contorted according to her feelings right now; confused. If he was saying the truth, then that might explain the fading pain on her shoulder, probably resulting from her fall.

"But I didn't remember going to the room last night." She murmured lowly.

"You didn't remember? Really?"

She shook her head as a no and dropped her head, partially feeling slightly embarrassed on his statement earlier.

Then she heard him huffed amusedly, "It's not just you're sleepwalking but you're snoring as well?"

Her head shot upward, her cheeks tinted red, "I..I snored? But I've never-"

His grin only get wider, "You'll never heard yourself snoring unless there was someone there watching you sleeping to tell you you just snored." He said plainly before he shook his head on the entertaining event right on the morning and went out of the room.

Her eyes followed him as he exited the room before she saw the laugh he muffled between his lips. Then he disappeared from her sight.

End of chapter 2

A/N: So here the second chapter. Thanks guys for reading, fav, following and reviewing. I must admit I didn't include that much information on how they got married and how they met but hey doesn't it make you come back for more? Haha lol.

There were lots of things happened before they got married and this story it's all about revealing Genma's story which wasn't highlighted much in the anime and Kira's history little by little. And also a little about Raido Namiashi. I already have everything in mind but you know I can't put everything all out just in one chapter so let's take it step by step and I promise you'll be there eventually, okay? :) I know it wasn't enough just searching on the narutowikia so I've done few researches here and there then I found this several interesting informations about Genma that not many of us know about. It considered canon I believe as it was a discussion made by few reliable authors.

The author had disabled any anonymous comments so I'll just give her/him credit here, it's in livejournal and the author's name is nezumiko. I will try to dig out for more and write one by one the story of Genma where I found it particularly interesting especially about the poison stuff. And his close relationship with Raido. They were often seen together, no?

All in all, please bear with me and please correct me if I'm wrong. And I'm open to suggestion too.

Until then,

toshimi-chan


	3. Key 3: Genma's Shelf

It's the middle of the day when she had done cleaning herself after spending about an hour doing the laundry and other stuff. It's also in this time of the day where she'll found herself studying.

Studying the foreign books from Genma's shelf. It's not because she wanted to. It's because she have to.

She drew a small paper with the foreign language in between the pages she was reading where Raido had lent his book to her, My Summer Colored Midnights. It annoyed her everytime she open the book to resume her reading, the page she marked last was gone. Instead she found a small paper with a foreign language sipped somewhere between the pages. And there's no other person who was kind enough to do that but _him_.

And it pissed her even more when she saw the annoying emoji in the end of the foreign words she didn't understand even a bit. And this time the symbol he left was this; ┐(￣∀￣)┌ It was as if he was ridiculing her. That's why she needed to study his books so she can understand what's the meaning behind those foreign words he had gave her since she started reading it a week ago, which means when they haven't gotten married yet.

When the first time she asked Raido a book so she could kill her time with, Genma said he has tons of them in the shelf if she wanted to read one. But since _that_ certain event, she decided to not touch any of his books again.

* * *

><p>Flashback 10 days ago<p>

* * *

><p>She stood there in awe, looking on each level of the books in the shelf. She'd never thought a ninja like him, or Raido could possibly have dozens of books collection at home. Her fingers traced to the books on the second highest level where there were tons of thick books related to chemistry regarding toxins and poisons such as The Botanical Neurotoxins which consists of seven parts where each part could reached about 500 pages. And also some other books which bear about the same title; Inuring Self With Poisons.<p>

That had made her wonder about the long needle that is always there between his lips. That small yet piercing weapon could kill anyone when they hit their vital points. Even so, she heard it was limitedly lethal. They need something that could add the fatality of the damage in case he missed the vital point of the enemy. It couldn't possibly he dipped the senbon in poisons right before spitting it to the enemy right? So which means...

_The poisons are already there on the senbon and he's chewing it all the time?_

She stood there dumbstruck before her eyes landed on the hard-covered book with a language she'd never saw before. She took it out from the shelf and flipped open page by page. She thought she started to saw stars twinkling here and there on the yellow-coloured paper as she gone through the thick book which contain nothing but words.

"What are you doing?" Genma had appeared out of nowhere as he peeked from behind her shoulder. She said nothing but blinked her eyes couple of times to get rid of the stars which were shining bright like a diamond before her.

"Why are you reading it upside down? You supposed to hold it like this." Genma flipped the book in the way she could see more stars than before as he returned the book in her hold. Then he left.

She contemplated each words with an unusual focus she had not have for years, standing there, trying to recognize each character before suddenly Raido appeared from the bathroom.

"Raido." She beckoned for him with her hand.

"Hm? What is it?" He approached her quizzically.

"Could you pronounce this for me?" Kira pointed her forefinger to one of the words on the page to him. She looked up to him. There, she saw his face was gleaming in laughter but he was frowning as well as though he was trying to swallow it.

She asked when he said nothing, "What's wrong?"

Sympathy washed over him as soon as he saw her innocent face. He inhaled deeply before he spoke, "Kira, do you realize you're holding the book upside down?"

"Huh?" Her eyes widened, "But Genma said it was supposed to be read this way."

"Genma?" He huffed, realizing how much ridiculous it sounds to him, "Don't listen too much to him. He's just toying with you. Look."

Raido took the book from her and showed her the front cover where there was a picture of a ship sailed on the ocean and naturally the sky was above it but strange enough, when he flipped the book upside down in the way she hold it earlier, it seemed as though the ocean was ready to distinguish the sun below it.

She choked hardly, trying hard to hide her embarrassment. Raido watched amusedly her reaction before taking his leave to his own apartment, dissappeared beyond the closed door.

Clearing her throat couple of times, she placed back the book to its place and this time she picked one at the top of the shelf where she have to tiptoed a bit before she reached the book. It also one with hard cover but smaller than the one before and there was lot of pictures inside instead of words although it was still a foreign book.

"Hmm? What is this?" In the book, she saw a very weird picture, probably drew by hand where she couldn't even recognize where's the face and where's the feet.

That was when Genma walked into the living room leisurely, hands in pockets as his eyes wandered to the bathroom and kitchen.

"Where's Raido?" He asked as he finally stood by her side.

With eyes still focusing on the unfathomable picture, she answered, "He just went home." Still feeling slightly betrayed on his antics earlier, she didn't bother to look at him.

Sensing she was acting differently than before, he turned to her but his eyes fastly locked to the book in her hand. He chuckled, his eyes glinted mischievously, "Do you know what are you looking at, sweetcheeks?"

Still searching for the invisible head and feet, she spoke plainly, "I'm trying."

"Want me to help you?" Without waiting for her answer, he brought the book in her hands and he flipped it again but this time, vertically.

She narrowed her eyes suspiciously against him, "You're making fun of me again, aren't you?"

He thought his stomach started to hurt as he restrained the urge to laugh, "Just now, yes. But this time not. Take a closer look." He gestured his eyes to the book which now was standing vertically in her hands.

She looked back at the book, frowning very deeply, tilting her head to one side as she tried to read the indiscernible drawing. He waited very patiently for her to fathom the picture, anticipating her reaction.

She had found the head in the picture.

_This is the head..._

Then this is the feet...

And here...

"Oh..Oh my!"

Suddenly the book slammed shut.

"B-Bathroom." She passed the book to him before she went to the bathroom with a brisk pace, face as red as tomato, leaving the amused ninja to enjoy his afternoon entertainment.

Once inside the bathroom and after make sure it was locked properly, she buried her face to her knees, traumatized for life. Minutes after that, she didn't come out of the bathroom, silently praying for Raido to come back or she might have to spend her night on the cold cement, traumatized.

* * *

><p>End of flashback<p>

* * *

><p>AN: Another interesting facts about Genma and his shelf where he mostly obtained the foreign books in his out-of-country missions. And it seemed poisons and toxins really are his major field as he had couple of times drowning himself in them in effort to make himself immune to the lethal object so he can use them in the course of his work as an elite ninja. Apart from that, he also have this precious erotic art book collection smuggled out from his missions somewhere far from the land and kept very nicely in his shelf too. Poor Kira (Ｔ▽Ｔ)

If you have the time, kindly leave me a review so I can know what you think^^


	4. Key 4: It's Me

"Back off Genma, Iwashi. It's going to blow again." Raido warned the rest of the Hokage's special guards to retreat from the maddening ancient jutsu that was sealing the chest in the middle of the field. They had done numerous attempts in opening the chest since it arrived in Konoha three weeks ago but to no avail. The jutsu that was wrapped around the sturdy wooden box, sealing the chest, almost leaving no space to even touch it is no doubt was not an ordinary one. They believed it was a very old seal of fūinjutsu (Sealing Jutsu) which none of the Konoha shinobi specialized of. So this is when the Hokage assigned the mission to the Hokage Guard Platoon who were once specially taught from the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze few techniques relating to the Space-Time Jutsu. For instance, The Flying God Thunder Technique when they were under his service years ago.

But unlike him, they had to perform it by combining the chakra of three people to weave the jutsu. Apparently, this time too, the seal of the chest was no match for them.

Another mindblowing blow erupted from the middle of the field, sending a fast rush of whirlwind centered from the chest to the surrounding trees, rocking them back and forth viciously. Recovering from the fall, Genma back on his feet, rubbing off the dirt from his face and approached the chest again. So were Iwashi and Raido. Each eyes were attached on the unmoved chest on the ground.

"Man I wonder... Did the people who were aftering this chest could even touch this? Did they even know the key to open this?" Iwashi muttered under his breath, starting to feel they were not the one to challenge the ancient seal.

Genma's hands rested on his hips casually, "Of course they do. They've already few steps ahead of us. It's just this time," he paused, the senbon twirled between his lips, "the fate seemed to sided with us."

Iwashi frowned upon his remarks, puzzled thus turning to him, "What do you mean?" Raido chose to keep his mouth shut, letting Genma continue if that's what he want.

His eyes still locked to the chest as he spoke, "They probably knew the way to turn the key but unfortunately the chest and the key itself," he paused for emphasis, "they both are already safely secured in our possession." He stated matter-of-factly as though it was nothing when actually the thing they seeked the most for now, is the key.

The key to unlock the seal of the chest.

His frown deepened, "You mean, we've already possess the key? Why don't we just use it? And where is this key now?" He asked impatiently, eyes suddenly glinted again in hope.

A small unfathomable smile arched on Genma's face as he replied, "Calm down, dude. If I haven't known the value of the key, I wouldn't have bothered to prolong this mission for weeks. But it seems," His hands tucked in his pockets, his grin widened, "the _key_ is way too valueable to give up to the likes of this thing. I'll hold on to it until the time comes." He said nonchalantly, building up the anxiousness in Iwashi before turning back to the direction of the village.

Raido chuckled as he watched Iwashi's dazed face. Following Genma's lead back to the village, he gave the third and the final member of the elite guard a side-way glance, "Now let's take a break for a while. It's wise to think up for another strategy while we eat."

Iwashi watched him walked in brisk pace then catched up to Genma's side before he saw he said something inaudible to Genma but only to be replied with a shrug of shoulder. Catching up to his team mates, giving the chest behind a last glance where they have placed their own seal to protect it in their absence, he turned back to his front before his eyes had caught a glistening shine of the sun reflected from something silvery from Genma.

From Genma's hand.

From his fingers.

From his ring finger.

A ring.

_A ring?_

* * *

><p>"So let's see..." Leaning comfortably on the black leather couch, she sat there after a while searching for a calendar throughout the house. She was starting to thought she might have to prepare a list of a few must-items in a house and give it to Genma when she didn't find any calendar after a half an hour searching. However, she did found it deep in the shelf of his clothes when she nearly give up hope in searching it. Flipping the paper to the next, she saw quite a number of red markings on the vacant spaces under a particular date along with a short note.<p>

Her finger traced to first cross red mark in the month; the 17th of February, "Father?" Then shifted to the February 22, "ANBU Comrade; Yuusuke, Asahina." She stopped short, something came up in her mind before she took a quick look throughout the calendar.

All the marked date in the calendar were red in color. Except for a few event where they were marked blue and black. Then her eyes attached to the month of August 28, "Raido? This is Raido's birthday?" Just beside it she saw a small candle-lit cake drew with the same blue pen. She gasped silently, then muffled her giggle when she had realized another new thing about him; he was a man with an unspeakable concern about his best friend's important date...

And the date of the one he lost.

Mother - October 10 (October 20)

Haruko - October 10

Yumiko - October 10

Fourth Hokage, Kushina Uzumaki - October 10

The most prominent date between all the dates with the red marks; October 10.

_What had happened in this day? Was there an extreme earthquake? Or...was Konoha being attacked?_

_...Like the way my village was destroyed?_

A few seconds after that, almost naturally, the tip of her finger touched one of the name in the important date.

Kushina. Then proceeded to the Uzumaki. Her finger lingered longer there. Her eyes were there. But her soul was elsewhere. She'd never tell anyone about this. Even to the family who adopted her. Or even to Genma. But she doubt it will make any change in the way it's already are.

She hated _Uzumaki_.

She hated her name. Her bloodlines. The prominent and permanent feature she possessed as an Uzumaki; her red hair. There's only one time she'll truly fond of the color of her hair. That was when her hair was bleached. But the devastating, deadly pain that came along with it was too unbearable she thought she'd rather die than being revived again just to feel the same pain in the end.

She heaved a heavy sigh, throwing her head back to the couch, realizing how foolish she was to think she could get rid of her hate to her own clan just by simply marrying off to someone who doesn't bear the same name.

She started to feel the usual throbbing of her head whenever the subject was brought on, she landed on her side on the couch, shutting her eyes closed.

_Genma. You're so nice by lending me your last name. And your home. But I'm afraid it won't be that long. Whatever you do to protect me, I'm afraid that that time will eventually come where Konoha will have to use me too.  
><em>  
>Before everything started to fade, she managed to reach back the calendar, marking her own birthday with a blue-coloured pen along with a simple note; <em>It's me.<em>

End of chapter 4

A/N: Things are starting to get clear about Kira's identity. Please fav, follow and review are much appreciated :D


	5. Key 5: Please Me

The night has come. The moon was peeking from above between the clouds, kindly provided some light to the perseverance shinobi in the middle of the field.

Genma panted, wiping the mixture of dirt and sweat on his face. One more, he surmised inwardly for the umpteenth time. Without waiting for his other teammates, Raido and Iwashi who had lied panting and exhausted on the ground, his forefinger and middle finger stretched upward again as he weaved the same jutsu they had tried several times on the chest since two hours ago but just like before, the seal didn't budged even an inch.

And again, Genma was sent flying few metres away before he finally lied on his stomach on the ground, groaning. His chakra was draining. His stamina was depleting. But he have to find another way to open the chest instead of using her.

He had twice watched the soul reaper reaped away her soul before she was revived back again. The first one was when he and Raido were assigned to search for the chest containing the ancient jutsu originated from the now perished Uzushiogakure and when they were there somewhere in the forest, that was when they found her whose mind was 'infiltrated' by some other shinobi with Iwagakure headprotector who seemed to wanted to take control of the chest. It seemed that they had failed in their attempt when her knees touched the ground, her eyes went white before her lifeless body collapsed a second after.

The second time was-

Genma stood up again, spitting the senbon between his lips, weaving one of the dangerous jutsu he had learnt from the Fourth Hokage, especially when one pursuing it alone. Seeing this, Raido quickly leaped to him, tackling him down, "What were you thinking, dammit?! You're going to get yourself killed!" He scowled madly, his elbow pressing on Genma's neck from behind, keeping him stilled on the ground.

He grunted with his left cheek pressed on the dirt, "Darn it. I was joking. Now get off me." He shoved Raido away as he recovered on his feet.

"Joking my feet. You're about to weave that jutsu just now." Raido retorted.

"So what if I am?" He chided with cold eyes.  
>Seeing upon this, Iwashi quickly jumped between the two, "Cut it out both of you. Why are you two suddenly quarrelling like a child?" He paused, assessing each frowning face of the two tokubetsu jonin, "Besides, it's already late. Should we call it a day?" He suggested.<p>

Raido watched with narrowed eyes as Genma squatted to pick his dropped senbon before he placed it again between his lips. Then he spoke, "We'll continue this again tomorrow. But it's going to be only me and Iwashi."

Genma whirled to him with narrowed eyes, "And why are you excluding me?"

Raido, being the captain he is, he remarked with an authorative tone, "Whether you realize this or not, you're currently under pressure to finish the mission as soon as possible without considering the aftereffect to your own body." His early piercing gaze finally soften, "Go get some rest. We'll meet again in another 24 hours."

Genma sighed before he mumbled "Fine." With hands tucked in his pockets, he walked back to the direction of the village.

***

He pressed the door closed and locked it as he walked to the still lit living room.

"Kira?" He peeked to the bedroom to check on her but she wasn't there. Exhaling in relief as he saw her sleeping peacefully on the couch, he tore open his green vest, along with his black tight and the headprotector, leaving himself shirtless before he quietly crouched down beside her sleeping figure, staring at her.

He brushed the red strands hiding her face to the back of her ear, getting a better view of her sleeping face. Strange enough, he thought his exhausted body was refreshed back again everytime he looked at her.

A content huff escaped his lips. He caressed her smooth cheeks with his knuckles, careful enough to not wake her up. They crept ever-so-gently over the alabaster skin, inch by languid inch closing its gap to the corner of her plump lips.

His eyes locked there.

The hard knuckles halted.

He still remembered the feeling of those curvy lips under his own. They were soft. Each curves had perfectly molded with his, as though they were created just for him to kiss them.

To ravish on them.

To brush away the quivering they held everytime their lips met.

To fade the horrible memories of those bastards had done to his wife in her past.

His wife.

HIS wife.

Just then he realized how great responsibility he shouldered when he took the vow to protect her, to be with her in sickness and in health, in every single moment.

For the rest of my life, he whispered.

He knew perfectly how to read her. She may seemed amenable enough to whatever moves he made to her so far but he knew she's not ready into it yet. He can't destroy the one thing he had struggled so hard to obtain from her.

Her trust.

His thumb brushed lightly on her plump lips before his lips had replaced his thumb, grazing her lips ever-so-lightly.

"I'm home, sweetheart." Not sweetcheeks. The name he wanted to call her for so long but he'd never bother himself to utter it.

The genuine feeling he held for her was manifested in that single word.

He pulled back and rolled to his feet, walking to the bathroom before he heard she stirred slightly, but she quickly went back to sleep a second after.

How vulnerable.

Shaking his head to get rid of those thought, he quickly disappeared into the bathroom. A short five minutes after cleaning himself from dirt and sweat, he walked out of the bathroom drying his hair with his towel before he saw Kira was already awake and was sitting half-conscious on the couch. He stood there watching her spaced out before she suddenly stood on her feet and made her way to the bathroom to wash herself for a bit.

Feeling herself had hit a hard wall where it wasn't supposed to be one in the middle of the way, she looked up. Blinking her sleepy eyes couple of times, she suddenly clasped her hands in joy when she saw the figure of him in front of her, "Now I'm even started to hallucinate him?" She poked the hard muscle on his chest with her finger, "Or is this for real?"

Feeling pretty much annoyed with her quirks right after she awake, Genma grasped her shoulder and held her tight, "I'm not your hallucination. I Am Right Here." He said firmly.

He shook her shoulder couple of times before he finally got back his Kira when she shook her head to stabilize her thought then she looked up at him. Half-smirk and half-smiling, he said, "So you did miss me."

It amused him to see her putting a brave face while her face was slowly getting red, "Am not." Decided to tease her a little more, he said, "Then I'm off to another mission tonight. See you in another three days."

Her eyes widened at first, startled, but later she made an acknowledged face. But Genma's sharp eyes was not easy to be fool by that milisecond of pout on her face. Sighing amusedly, one of his hand lingered to her back, drawing her into the hard plane of his naked torso.

"That wasn't honest. 'I'm lonely and in need of your company'. How about just saying it?" He whispered into her ear breathily.

She always found herself bereft of words when they were so close to each other, but he'd never holding her half-naked before! She don't even know where to look at. All she could see now was his bare chest and shoulders covered with few scars here and there.

Seeing her saying nothing, he continued, "I just got a full day break from Raido. Should we get you out to some fresh night air? Or probably staying overnight somewhere?" He remarked softly, still keeping her close to him.

She gasped in surprise, her eyes glinted gaily as she looked up at him, "Really? Then let's go out somewhere. Perhaps... Can we go to the okonomiyaki shop just outside the Konoha?" She remembered there's one shop just a few hundred metres away outside of the Konoha's boundary. But she suddenly stopped her quering eyes when something kicked into her head. Looking back at him, "But, aren't you tired? You just returned home. You need to rest."

His hazel eyes met her raven one, "I don't need rest. Being with you alone gives me energy." His grin only grew wider when Kira rolled her eyes regardless of the rosiness of her cheeks. He resumed ,"Besides, I can't let you keep hallucinating about me. I'm afraid you'll gone crazy over me then our agreement go terminated. Well it's not that I really mind..."

She felt a sudden jolt of electricity when his hand crawled into her shirt, touching her bare back. As fast as lightning, she jerked away from his arms, earning herself some freedom to breathe and to calm the fast pulse of her thumping heart.

Averting her face from him, she stammered, "F-five minutes. Give me five minutes." Then she went to the bathroom and disappeared behind the door. He huffed, shaking his head amusedly before resuming to dry his damp brown hair.

In the Okonomiyaki shop few kilometres away from Konoha

She settled herself on the bench of the table, looking around with a fairly bright eyes. There's a stove in the middle of the table where the customers always fry their own okonomiyaki. It suited perfectly to the name of the shop; Serve Yourself A Miyaki. Miyaki, probably a shortform of okonomiyaki.

"Wait here. I'm going to get us some drink." Genma said, still dressed in his usual ninja attire from head to toes. She nodded with a short em before he went to the counter. Soon after, a waiter brought a tray of steamed buns to the table as it was a free treat to each customer before the raw okonomiyaki was served.

After thanking the male waiter and he left, she brought the white, fluffy steamed bun into her drooling mouth. Red bean, she thought. She continued to munch on it, completely oblivious of two pair of eyes watching her from the right side of her table.

Resting his elbow on the counter, Genma turned back to look at the direction of her table, watching her eating the steamed buns. She seemed utterly ignorant to the rest of the world around her. Then a few blue-green vein popped out of his temple when he saw two men watching his wife from the next table with a nasty look on their face.

"Here you go, sir." The old woman behind the counter passed him a tray of drinks he had ordered. He quickly placed couple of coins on the counter and left for her table.

She flinched when something had slammed the table. She turned to look and found it was Genma who was holding the tray wearing an unfathomable looks on his face. Then her gaze shifted to the two men who seemed as though they wanted to go to their table, judging from the advancing stance they make.

"Are they your friends?" She whispered when Genma took a seat beside her, between her and the two men.

"I don't make friends with flies." He stated impassively.

The men cowered upon seeing the usual attire of the Konoha shinobi usually wear and the murderous aura emanated from him. One of them had admitted defeat while the other still stubbornly staring at him. Sensing one of the man was still there, watching them, had made another few of flustered veins popped out from under his skin. Determined to not cause any unnecessary disturbance, he took her left hand in his larger one and held it towards the stubborn man.

There was a pair of silver ring where one glinted on her ring finger while the other on his ring finger.

A pair of ring that had sealed their vows as a husband and wife.

Upon seeing this, the man was startled for few seconds before he went to his feet and rushed out of the shop.

Kira's eyes followed the man's pace curiously towards the door before she asked the taciturn shinobi on her left side, "What's wrong with that man? Did he flirt with you?"

A pair of eerie monsters eyes glared at her, "Say what?"

She let out a small laugh and hold her hands on her chest in mock surrender, "Joking, joking."

She hid her amusement all along the awkward moment when the man left until the waiter returned with a freshly made pastry of okonomiyaki in a big bowl, "Here you go. Please enjoy your meal."

Genma took the bowl and hand it to her, "Fry this. Make sure it turn out gold-coloured and nicely cooked. I don't want it to be overfried or undercooked or I won't eat them, understood?" He stated ruthlessly.

She nodded tersely yet her face was twitching in laughter. She took the bowl and stir it for a bit. Testing the heat of the flat pan as she waved her hand few centimetres above it, she took a big spoonful of the pastry and placed it on the hot pan, producing a sizzling sound as she added more and made a perfect round shape on the frying pan.

"What are you doing? It's a little uneven here and there. Don't you know how to fry okonomiyaki before?" He suddenly criticized the shape and the surface of the pastry.

"Like you said, it's just a little uneven. No matter what the shape, thick or thin, this okonomiyaki will eventually end up in our stomach, right? So the shape doesn't really matter." She casually countered him as she added another spoonful of pastry on to the pan.

"Let me do this." With that, Genma took the big spoon from her hand and pressed gently on the sizzling pastry to get a nice even surface.

And it did. "See?" He said proudly.

Checking on the edge of the pastry which it looked nice than before, she spoke, "It's pretty nice, I admit. But I don't particularly care about the presentation. What I do care," she paused as she pointed her finger to her lower abdomen, smiling sweetly, "is just the satisfaction of our stomach."

"Nope. I want it to be presented nicely or I won't eat them." He crossed his arms over his chest, looking at her from above.

Sighing, she mumbled, "You're awfully hard to please today."

"Then please me in the apartment later."

"Eh?"

"Sing me a lullaby tonight."

End of chapter 5


	6. Key 6: Two Different Lullaby

**_(Warning! May contain spoiler! Read on your own risk)_**

_**"To forsake one's country and one's village...is the same as forsaking one's child."** She stood there quietly, being a mere shadow she is in her own space-time jutsu, she can do nothing but to watch._

_The Fourth Hokage._

_And his exhausted wife, Kushina._

_Together with the little infant in her arms._

_**"You whose birth nation is no more, know that all too well."**_

_Those words, had long carved in the deep recesses of her memory._

_**"How harsh life is for those without a land to call home."**_

_Because she had experienced that pain of being apart from her homeland in her past twenty-six years living blanketed with fear._

_**"Besides which, our family...are ninja."**_

_Seconds by maddening second has passed. The moment when the parents of the newly born baby threw their body as a shield to protect him from the Nine-Tail's piercing claw..._

Her eyes flew opened.

She sensed something heavy stirred in her laps.

Genma.

Making her smile after such a gravely image played before her eyes. She resumed her caressing of his brown hair with her fingers. Gently taking a strands, twining it with her finger before she unraveled it, repeating it again as if she was lulling a child to sleep just by a simple touch of her finger.

This is her lullaby. One of the way she knew how to put a child to sleep.

Like a child. Him.

And she is the mother.

But the mother never leave her son until she's perfectly sure her son is asleep. Watching his chest peacefully rise and fall in that same peaceful rhythm, with that always teasing but caring eyes of his closing tight, she carefully lifted his head off her lap and replaced it with a fluffy pillow underneath it.

Giving him a last glance, she exited the room and carefully closed the door. She walked to the verandah with quiet stride before throwing herself over the rail...

Engulfing herself into the darkness of the night.

* * *

><p>His focus in studying his orange book flattered when the loud crashing sound echoed few metres away from where he was lying. Took off on his feet, walking on the cold grass before he saw her.<p>

Emitting a red chakra in her hands before the redundant seals on the chest were undo one by one. Until there's only one left.

"I thought I'd never get to see the same chakra like _her_ again in the future."

Her onyxs orbs widened. Her hands hung on her chest.

He narrowed his eyes, his fingerless gloved hand under his chin, inspecting the red-haired woman before him, "Are you someone from here? I've never seen you before."

Bracing herself, Kira looked up to the masked man on her right side, his remarkable silver hair bathed in the moonlight. She don't know why but somehow she have this feeling that she shouldn't get close to this man. No. She shouldn't even let this man laid his eyes on her. She gulped, "No, I'm not from here. But I meant no harm." She found herself trying to convince the unknown man before her that she won't do anything-

"I know." Kakashi interjected her, "Your eyes says all. Say, Uzumaki-san..." He paused before he resumed, cocking his head to one side, "Are you somehow...related to Kushina?"

His question caught her off guard.

Then they heard few men landed behind them.

"There you are. This is the sixth time we caught you wandering around so carelessly, Hokage-sama."

Kakashi lazily turned to his back, his hand in his pocket, while the other rubbing oddly the back of his neck, "Right right. But you should know this Sasuke..."

Sasuke, currently the head of the ANBU, raised his eyebrow behind the mask.

"I'm capable of taking care of myself so just...take this time to eat ramen or treat yourself some rest, okay? ...No?" None of the three men replied anything implying as a yes or no.

Kakashi sighed. _It's time to get back to that cramp building again I guess, _he thought inwardly.

"So Uzumaki-san. See you around."

Then they left, leaving her pertrified on the ground.

_Hokage..._

_Did I just meet the Hokage?_

* * *

><p>Somewhere in Iwagakure border<p>

Sounds of hard knocking of the wooden door still visible in their ears although they were far down in the basement.

"Nee-chan, I'm so scared..." One of the boy around 4-5 years old softly weeping in the fabric on her waist. Another few sobs broke in the dimly lit basement.

Hard crashes of chair being crashed down was heard.

Hanare brought the another four children into her embrace, bringing them close to her.

A girl sobbed, her small hands clutch tightly to her worn out gray shirt, "Nee-chan...would they...take you away..." Hanare quickly muffled the girl remarks, pressing her closer to her warmth.

But the girl continued between her sobs, "...just like...they take away...Kira onee-chan-"

"Shhh... What are you talking about-"

Another crashed sound was heard.

The children were clinging to her, eyes closed as if she is the one who kept them anchored to the world.

"Remember what I told you?" She whispered softly, "When the morning comes, everything's going to be alright."

Some of them nodded while the other trying hard to muffle their sobs. Her hands caressed the hair of the children, trying to soothe away the fright in them.

"As long as I'm here, no one can hurt you, okay? Now close your eyes. You'll be alright. I'm here." She murmured softly, just enough for them to hear.

Under the cold floor, the sobs began to cease, the clutch of hands began to loosened.

Another night passed away with an unmelodious lullaby, just a soft touch of a hand lulling them into sleep, far away from the raging world above them.

End of chapter 6

A/N: Sorry I've forgotten to include the time setting. This story occured about six months after the Fourth Shinobi World War. So Hanare is in this story too :) Of course I don't want the Hokage to end up a bachelor ya know. So leave me a review if you want me to write about Kakashi and Hanare too^^

Note: The last part greatly inspired by Safe and Sound, Taylor Swift feat. The Civil Wars


	7. I've Sealed You

Her head hurts. And it hurts like hell. Like some kind of Ranbo knives being stabbed relentlessly into her brain. She didn't realized there were two pairs of eyes were watching her in the room since she was brought back to Konoha.

Then she felt someone touched her shoulder. There's a subtle hint of tenderness in the touch that made her gasp went unheard. Her eyes fluttered opened.

"Kira, you alright?" It's a woman's voice. She blinked couple of times. The light from the lamps made her eyes squinted as they wandered on the white ceiling above her. The tight bandage wrapped around her head made her temple throbbed. Realizing the place she was in, her brows knitted in confusion.

_Why am I here again?_

She tried to get up from the bed, but only to found it was pointless. Her body, which previously was covered by numerous marking seals from the bastards who were aftering the chest, now had disappeared. That much she can tell; her body felt lighter than before. There's no more foreign chakra marking her skin, keeping her shadowed in the eyes of the enemies who seemed to know the value of the chest she'd been entrusted to since she turned six.

Even so, her body still feel heavy, in a way. There was still another foreign chakra running through her veins.

"Here. Drink this." Shizune, the one who had attend to her side and healed her since two days ago handed her a glass of water. She helped her seat on her rear, leaning on the headboard of the masculine scented bed. Carefully, Kira looked at her at the corner of her eyes, examining her.

Shizune flashed her a toothy grin, "Don't look at me like that, Kira! There's nothing to be afraid of. You're safe here. And by the way, I'm Shizune." The glass between them fixed there, waiting for her to take it, and waiting for her to take and to acknowledge the small friendship the medical kunoichi presented in that thin cylinder of glass.

Taken aback by her kindness, and the gleaming honesty in that raven eyes, she took the glass from her, "Thank you." She muttered. She nearly bath herself on the bed when the glass almost slipped off from her hold. Thank goodness Shizune was fast to aid the weight of the glass under her hands.

Shizune chuckled, "It seems your body hasn't completely recovered yet although the rate you were recuperating in the last 24 hours was three times faster than any other men usually take. I'm pretty impressed I'd say. I mean, you Uzumaki never failed to impress us, the medic."

Ignoring her last appraising remark, she switched to treat her dried throat with water. She felt refreshed again to have something cold washed her throat and down her inside.

"Feeling better?" Shizune asked and she merely nodded, giving her a small smile. Shizune continued to watch her as she downed the last drop of the water. She couldn't quite adapt to the fact she was helping Genma to hide her in his home. She don't know why but she couldn't brush off the image of his panic-stricken face when he suddenly went to her apartment in the middle of the night two days ago. With his jonin vest stained with some dark thick fluids that emanated a very metallic scent.

It was her blood.

_Maybe I should leave them alone now,_ she thought amusedly.

"I guess I'll be going now. I'll come back again tomorrow to check on you. So rest well, Kira. Don't push yourself too hard, okay?" Shizune stood from the chair beside the bed and waved her goodbye as she exited the room.

Her hand dropped after waving her goodbye. She sighed. It was quiet again.

And she was _here_ again.

As much as she refused to be here, deep down she felt...grateful. For him to be there. Or else, probably she won't be able to inhale her next breath.

Right. There was something strange in her. Since she left his apartment three days ago. This had keep bothering her since then but she don't know what it is. Her eyes scrutinized her wrists. Right, then the left one. But there's nothing there.

Except for her missing bracelet she wore since she was six. It wasn't with her at the moment. Then her memories told her that her bracelet-she had gave it to Hanare.

And that was the last time she saw her.

She decided she don't want to make any attachment to anyone in Konoha. She have to go back to their small house they held for the orphans. The kids needed her there. She knew she was indebted to him, again, but the first one, at least she have something to offer to him; the chest, but this time, she have nothing left. Even so, she wanted to pay him in any way she can.

She went to her feet, tidying the bed although the faint throb in her head was still there and her wobble legs much felt like jelly to her. That was when she sensed _that _feeling again. Driven by her instinct, her hands went to her stomach, caressing the flat abdomen. Feeling rather uneasy, she flipped open her shirt just enough to expose her stomach.

Her eyes widened in shock.

There's a new marking seal on the skin of her abdomen.

"Going somewhere?" Out of nowhere, Genma had entered the room, startling the maiden before she let down her shirt.

"Genma you're here. I... I'm leaving. I can't keep on burdening you to stay here." She stated nonchalantly, trying to hide her shock as she resumed in tidying the blanket.

He watched the woman before him fluffying his pillow. Her actions seemed almost too natural. "Is that how you repay someone who had saved your life?"

She sighed quietly before she turned to him, her dark midnight eyes met his hazel one, "I'm sorry - I mean...thank you very much for saving me. I really want to pay you back. I really do. But apparently, there's something more important for me to do right now. There's somewhere I need to go. I-I'll pay you back very soon! Just...give me some time."

He smirked, taking a step towards her, "Nope. How can I let go a very important subject for my mission to get away?" Just before she was able to reply, Genma had weave a handsign. She'd never expected him to know about this. Her entire body was engulfed in an ancient seals.

The seals to open the chest.

The key. It was her.

He watched her huffed dryly, ignoring the black mark all over the skin as if she had seen it thousands of time. Her hands, her neck. Including the skin under her clothes. Her disheveled red hair seemed so right in his eyes. With her head still wrapped tightly with a bandage by Shizune, added by the evident wobbling in her legs, there's no way he will let her leave this place.

She let out a humorless laugh, "I'm such an idiot for believing you Konoha that you wouldn't...no. Of course you would. Exchanging the content of the chest with someone's life wouldn't mean much to you, do you? Your mission is everything. Fine then. If that's what you want, then just use me. Then your mission will be accomplished." She stated impassively, heavied with subtle hint of sarcasm.

"And do you think I'm going to do that? After placing my life on the line just to put the marking seal on your body?" The black sealing mark on her skin slowly retreating back to its center, her abdomen.

Her hands instantly flew to her flat stomach, "But I've never ask you to do such thing. Now undo the seal." She demanded adamantly, voice remained low yet he can sense the coldness scorching in her eyes. Genma looked at her for a moment, silently admiring the strong look she wore although in her mentally and physically deeply afflicted. But he knew she can't last long. Ignoring her piercing gaze, he shook his head, casually putting his hands in his pockets, "No. Can't do." "And why not?" She reproached, feelling herself nearly teetering over the edge.

He casually went to the bed and threw herself into the softness and the faint scent of her in his bed. His arms crossed behind his head, looking at her, "I just don't feel like it. Now Kira sweetheart, just take it easy, okay? You still need some rest. I don't want Shizune to think I'm doing something bad to you. Now come here." He patted his side for her to motion there.

Her boiling point had reached its peak, "Stop messing with me! You don't know anything about me!"

_Ahh. Did I just push the button?_

Faking a poker face, "You right. I don't know anything about you. That's why I brought you here-Wait, where are you going?" His remarks halted as he saw her heading towards the door, guiding her unstable legs with one hand flattened on the wall.

"Far away. From you. But don't worry. I'll certainly pay you back." She answered him without bothering to look at the man she considered as rude for marking her body with his seal without her permission.

He sighed, watching her exited the room. Once she did, he twirled the senbon with his tongue, counting for his next action.

5 seconds later

"Genma! Put me down right now or I'll scream!"

"Go ahead. I don't mind. Making you silent sounds pretty interesting to me too." Instantly she stopped squirming on his shoulder. Genma smiled in triumph before he laid her gently on the bed, then hovering over her.

Blood seemed to drain from her face, "W-what are you doing?" Her body went stiff as he leaned one hand above her head while the other rested on her side.

He watched in amazement her glorious red hair sprawled on his pillow. Gently taking the silky strand, he twirled it with his finger before he brought it to his lips, kissing it.

"Don't you understand yet what does it means to have my marking seal on you?" He whispered, catching her eyes in trance with his.

Tipping her chin with his fingers when she averted her reddened face, "It means, I'll always have you in perimeter of my eyes. I'll never let you go. Wherever you are, I'll be there to protect you from any bastards who are looking for you. And do you know why?"

She shook her head tentatively, feeling herself being drowned in his enchanting hazel eyes.

"It's because I want you. I desire you as a woman. Not as an object to accomplished my mission like you claimed before. If you're unable to protect yourself, how do you assume to protect the children you have been taking care of? Tell me." He asked lowly. His piercing eyes alone almost felt like they were baring her.

"But...this is too sudden. I don't even know you. It's too impossible for us..." Her voice trailed off. She tried to reason desperately, desperate for air to breathe. And desperate to escape his suffocating territory.

"I didn't say I'm giving you a choice. You said you will pay me back, do you? Besides, with the seals on your body, doesn't it seemed pretty clear? **I've sealed you**. In my possession." He ended with his grin wide from ear to ear.

"Ehem." Someone was clearing his throat at the door. Raido.

"Sorry for interrupting, you two. Genma, the Hokage had summoned for us in his office now."

Genma sighed, "Damn. Out of all times... Either way, Kira, you know what I'm saying, do you? If you ever leave the apartment again, then it just means you are ready to face the music." He went to his feet, leaving her dazed on the bed as he left with the grinning Raido to the Hokage's building.

~Special short series of I've Sealed You finished


	8. Key 7: Xawaash

"Good morning."

A familiar soft voice of his wife greeted him. Genma, under the sleeveless black sweatshirt, he yawned before a delectable scent soon reached him. The usual toast and a coffee was already served on the table. Kira, in the other hand, dressed in a simple white shirt, complemented with a soft titian red long skirt on her lower half all had made her appearance look lovelier than before; her red hair was braided neatly and let loose on her right shoulder down her waist.

Genma can't take his eyes off of her.

"Is...is something wrong?" Kira asked to his dumbstruck figure.

"No. I just confused." His eyes went up then down her figure.

"Confused?"

"Yeah." Genma went to the table and took a seat. He pulled the chair next to him and gestured for her to seat, which she did. He took the bread and grab a mouthful of bite, after munching and swallowing it, he turned to her, eyes gracing her dark orbs teeming with confusion. Even so, he said nothing.

Resting her chin in her palms, giggling, "You should've wash yourself first before you take your breakfast, ya know. Didn't you ever practice that before?"

Shrugging, "I'm hardly take one before-hell I don't even remember the last time I have my meal in this house."

"But you will have them everyday." He instantly stopped munching, simply amazed by that hidden silent promise she held. Then she resumed, "but only if we have enough ingredient in the house, that is."

A great one minute after that, she had present him a long list of veggies, spices, raw meats, fruits, dairies and few other ingredients he don't even know how the hell to pronounce it.

Xawaash.

"What the hell is this? Some kind of detergent?"

Laughing heartily, "No it's not! It's-" She started to explain the origin of xawaash which pronounce as haawashz, where it was actually a mixture of three distinct flavours; coriander, black peppercorn and cinnamon and its ability to completely transform a meal into a rich experience for the senses like never before.

Sighing, "Then just let's go together then. I don't think I can find these things on my own."

"For real? I can go to the market with you?" Her eyes sparkling like stars, her hands clasped together in joy, one of the reaction he noticed she'd make one when she was pumped up with excitement.

A small smile cracked from his lips, "Of course. I'll make up things when we're there. Besides, there's an important place I want to show you."

"A place? Where is it? A funfair?" She asked again, still as lively as before, although her expectation was way too far from the place he wanted to show her. Chuckling, "Why are we wanted to go to funfair? The place I wanted to show is far too valuable and very precious for both of us. It's our new h-"

Knock-knock!

They continued to ignore for it but the knock just went non-stop. Flustered, "Damn... I thought the war is over." He went to the door, unlocking it before he opened it just enough for him to peek.

"In the name of the Hokage, I hereby offering the heroes of Konoha any type of services for a one full day, sir!"

Konohamaru.

"Genma-san, if you need someone to cook for you-"

"No. I've already have one."

"Or someone to clean your house-"

"I said no-"

"Or your toilet-"

"Konohamaru-"

"Or brushing your back-"

"W-wait-what?"

"So let's get started, kore!" His step into the apartment quickly thwarted. Genma held the door unmoved with one hand.

He narrowed his eyes in attempt to chase away the Third Hokage's perseverance grandchild, "Will you accept any form of requests?"

His eyes shone like star, "What is it, sir? I would gladly grant it for you!"

He waste no time to reply, "Leave me alone for today and never come back." Konohamaru quickly slid his feet to the closing door, making it stuck right before it shut close.

"Genma-san," the young teen was practically pleading, "I can do whatever you want but not that. If you want me to buy something at the town, I'll buy it right away! Just name it, kore!"

"Who is that, Genma?" Kira was tiptoeing behind his shoulder before she saw Konohamaru.

"Well hello there! What's your name, young one? Please, come in." She took hold of the door and opened it wide as she welcomed the stunned young shinobi into the apartment. Sensing an intense and desperate gaze from her husband as though he was saying;

_But...aren't we going to the market after this?_

She merely replied with a wink, saying;

_I know how to handle kids._

_End of Chapter 7 _


	9. Key 8: Breaking Gaze

_Is this her idea of handling kids?_

His face twitched in a bliss displeasure as he watched his seemingly joyful wife and Konohamaru walked side by side, laughing heartily, completely ignoring his presence. Even so, a small smile settled silently within him.

_This should be the first step._

Every once in a while, Kira would secretly glancing to her back, locking her gaze with his before he tore his eyes from her abruptly, leaving her hanging in wonderment ever since they left the apartment. Her eyes reluctantly went back to the road before them while Konohamaru continued to introduced her some interesting places in Konoha verbally.

The young shinobi looked up at her, grinning, "Kira nee-chan, I've never thought you and Genma-san are related, kore. So where do you lived all this while? You're a ninja too, right?"

Looking at him, her eyes glinted gaily, "Of cou-"

But _someone's_ voice had interjected her, "Kira, let's have steak tonight." Kira and Konohamaru instantly stopped on their tracks, looking back at him, "but I don't want it to be cooked like last time. It's awful." He said, casually twirling the senbon between his lips.

A faint gasp escaped her lips, taken aback, "But last time you said," her voice trailed off, slightly hurt, "...you liked it." She mumbled lowly, remembering how delightful he and Raido was when she cooked the steak in a way they've never tasted before; in Iwagakure style.

Frankly, she just don't understand what was he thinking. And why the secrecy? Why he still wanted to keep the fact that they're married despite now he began to introduce her in the society?

_Or is he embarrassed to introduce me as his wife? _

The sudden thought sent a sharp pain deep down her core.

Konohamaru eyed them with a building curiosity. His fingers on his chin. Eyes narrowed. Despite what the elite jonin had told him about their relationship, it seemed to him that they were hiding something.

Something that shouldn't be leaked to the crowds. And he's not fool enough to not even notice the way the usually collected jonin looked at her. The way he talked to her. It's not a cousin-like gaze. It's not an ordinary stare. Was it more to...romantic-like gaze?

_Wow romantic? Way to go Konohamaru._

Returning back from his dry humor, he beamed brightly to her, "Don't worry, Kira nee-chan! I can help you preparing the dinner if you want. I'm very good in cooking, kore!"

Her bitter expression earlier instantly went bright, "Really? Then join us for dinner!"

"Alright if you insist!"

Genma's eyes grew wide in a second, "No. We're eating outside tonight. Kira and I have something important to do after dinner. So as for you Konohamaru," his narrowed eyes shifted to the young shinobi, "Go help the next person in the list after this."

His eyes widened, "But, Genma-san-"

Having a genin defying him is the last thing he'd ever ask for. His eyes narrowed dramatically but his impassive expression remained intact, "No buts. It's an order."

"But-"

Kira continued to watch them amusedly as the gentle noon breeze rushed over them every once in a while. The wind as though giving a sign the autumn is about to come in another few days, where the earth will be flooded with countless of gold-colored fallen leaves. Her eyes wandered to the cozy-looking neighbourhood around them. Smells of faint nature perfume of flowers emanated from the wild flowers clinging to the wooden wall of the residences. As if on cue, her eyes landed on a yellow-haired young man holding bouquets of flowers and several boxes of gifts in his arms far few meters ahead of her. She furrowed a bit, trying to look at the face behind the flower wrapper.

The fine looking man, clad in orange pants and long sleeve black shirt was struggling to keep the gifts from falling to the ground. Then she saw two girls flocking to him, calling him by his name but she vaguely heard it. All she could hear was "...to-senpai". The full name of the said man had faded into obscurity in the distance between them.

"...ra?"

Her head tilted to one side. She don't know why but there was definitely something that drew her attention to the young man. She'd never felt like this towards someone before. It's as if...there was an unbreakable but faraway bond tying them together. Or was it all her imagination? Or...could it be that-

"Kira." Her head trip faltered. A pair of large hands landed on her shoulders before they spun her to her back.

Perplexed black met worried hazel.

Added with another three pair of eyes watching her anxiously; Konohamaru, Shizune and a gorgeous looking female blonde she haven't met before.

Sighing, Genma released his hands off of her, "Stop spacing out like that. You looked like a mother cat waiting for her lost kittens to come home you know that."

She didn't see that coming, "M-mother cat?"

The three spectators continued to watched them intently as Genma took her hand and placed couple of notes into her palm before they saw Genma whispered something inaudible near her ears. Meanwhile, Shizune, who was still unable to discern the fake facts Genma had told them earlier had lost in her own thoughts. Her eyes twitched when Genma said Kira was his cousin.

His _cousin_.

_Just what were you thinking actually, both of you?_

After a while, Kira approached them, flashing her and the blonde female a toothy smile, trying to act as if nothing happened, "It's been a while, Shizune-san." Although they last met about five days ago during their wedding, but it feel way too long for Kira for she had not talk to any females during that period.

"So I'm going to take my leave now." Genma bowed lightly to the former Hokage, Tsunade before looking to Shizune for acknowledgment then finally to Kira. The corner of his lips curved upward, "See you later, sweetchee-I mean...Kira."

Her cheeks flushed red, her fingers curled. Judging by that smirk on his face, she knew he had intentionally called her by that name, teasing her.

But she just can't take anymore of it today.

Her fingers unraveled frailly_, Just stop it already..._

The former Hokage, Tsunade threw herself between the two women and slang her hands onto their shoulders, bringing them close. "Now then Kira my dear, let's throw away the formalities, shall we. Just call me Tsunade." Her bright face slowly contorted curiously, leaning towards Kira, "Say Kira..." Her voice turned into whisper, "How's Genma? A handsome devil, isn't he? And awfully wealth too." She deliberately sighed, "Ahh how I wish to have all his mone-"

"Tsunade-sama!" Shizune shrieked, high pitched.

"I'm joking, Shizune! Hahahaha!"

While to Kira, her remarks caught her by surprise, "Tsunade-sama," she simply chose to follow how Shizune addressed her, "what do you mean by...wealth?" In her past two weeks staying in his apartment, there's nothing he owns that she could classify as wealth. Not that she mind but the question of wealthiness never popped up in her mind. Both of them are pretty content the way they were. Besides, he never said anything about it so she'd never asked. It's as simple as that.

"Eh? Didn't he tell you? Shizune, you know about _that _too_, _right?"

Seeing the three females flocking together, Konohamaru remarked casually, "So I'm off too then." And walked away before a hand pulling his turqoise scarf, choking his channel of breath.

"Just where do you think you're going, Konohamaru?" Still standing somewhere around them, Genma had the Third's grandchild halted on the spot before he let go of his scarf.

Rubbing lightly on his throat, "Isn't it obvious? I'm a man, kore!"

"And a man should stick to their duty, do they not?" Konohamaru went silent, having those words rammed into his head before he sighed heavily. Remembering having his duty with the female kunoichi of the village, Hinata, Sakura and the gang had made his hands and body awfully sore for a great two days. After that, he even thought that once he become Hokage, he would restrict the females to not enter the mall in a group more than three or another genin like him could end up _a plup _for shouldering so much stuff in their hands and backs.

"...Fine." Half of his soul already flew into the air as he walked towards the waiting females. Tsunade merrily welcoming Konohamaru as she patted his back _ever-so-gently._

And again, this time, their eyes met again.

But she's the one to tore their gaze first.

A sly grin hovered on his face.

_She's mad at me._

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><p><em>End of chapter 8<em>

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><p>Finally, an update! Review please!<p> 


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